As the December 13 deadline looms for spaza shops to register their business or face closure, eThekwini Municipality says it has received more than 400 applications.
Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa set a 21-day registration deadline for spaza shops and small businesses after 22 people died from food-borne illnesses. In one incident, six children in Naledi, Soweto, died from pesticide poisoning.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana told “The Mercury” that since Ramaphosa announced measures to regulate spaza shop operations, the municipality’s Business Licensing Department had received 412 new business licence applications from November 18 to date.
Sisilana said the licensing department currently maintains a database of 4700 spaza shops.
“The new 412 business licence applications cannot be added to this number yet as the approval process is not automatic.”
After receiving applications, Sisilana said a thorough review process begins, involving departments including Town Planning, Land Use Management, Environmental Health, Fire and Emergency Services, the Building Department, and metro police for approval and clearance.
Upon approval, she said applicants can submit the required documents, pay fees, and have 21 days to meet Fire and Health Department requirements.
“Licences are granted when all conditions are met. Therefore, the new applicants will be added to the legal spaza shop database once their documents are verified. Additionally, the Department of Home Affairs is involved in confirming the legality of foreign nationals operating spaza shops,” said Sisilana.
She said the City's Business Licensing offices have seen long queues since November 18 in response to the president’s call. She added that the City had hosted three compliance workshops in KwaMashu, Newlands, and eManzimtoti, where it facilitated on-site registration last week.
“Compliance workshops are regularly held to enforce regulations and are conducted in collaboration with Environmental Health, Metro Police, the Department of Home Affairs, and other relevant authorities. Over 20 workshops were successfully hosted in the past quarter,” she said.
Sisilana said while the national government deadline is December 13, the annual business licence renewal process for the municipality begins on December 1 each year and closes on January 31 of the following year.
“Renewal is a statutory requirement and is free of charge. Businesses can register by visiting the business licensing office where the original licence was issued.
“There are prescribed renewal forms to be completed and submitted with the necessary documents.
Alternatively, businesses can renew their licenses online via the Business Licensing eServices webpage on eThekwini Municipality’s website,” she said.
National Informal Traders Alliance of South Africa (Nitasa) president Rosheda Muller said registering the businesses was important and there should be an annual update as well as an annual check-up on a licence to sell food. However, she said there should be an extension of the deadline to 12 months to accommodate the sheer volume of business owners needing to register.
“There are going to be challenges. It is highly improbable, almost impossible, for the time frame to be met.
The local governments just do not have the capacity,” she said.
Muller, who has been working in this industry for more than 38 years, fighting for the rights of informal traders, said now that there is a crisis, everybody is “hopping and skipping”.
“It is so sad, because it had to take (a tragedy) to come to this point, and government has now awoken and is making serious commitments to do it. But 21 days? Definitely not,” she said.